It is crucial for business leaders to track their team’s productivity to ensure their company is running at peak efficiency. However, tracking productivity can be a daunting task, especially when there are multiple departments and teams to manage. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions provide capabilities to help businesses assess and improve productivity.

According to research conducted by Zippia, measuring employee productivity is crucial. The average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes a day or 31% of their eight-hour workday. Unproductive behavior can result from several factors, including stress, business inefficiencies like lacking coordination and collaboration, and general distractions. Zippia also found that the average employee is distracted every three minutes. Additionally, it takes them an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus on their task after being pulled away.

These productivity inhibitors can harm both the business and the employees. A cloud ERP solution can help break this cycle by improving communication and collaboration processes among team members. An ERP system stores and synchronizes data from across the organization. This gives every team member access to the same information based on permissions assigned to them. The ERP system allows teams to work with up-to-date, accurate data. Members can collaborate more easily on company-wide or cross-departmental projects, better understand their roles and responsibilities, and coordinate their actions as needed. This can help address productivity issues and promote a more efficient work environment.

Streamlining business processes with ERP solutions

For small business owners or managers, experiencing growth is a significant accomplishment. However, such progress often results in added complexity. Companies require sufficient resources and adaptable business processes and workflows to acquire new customers with increasing demands and evolving requirements.

By utilizing real-time data provided by cloud ERP solutions, business leaders can scrutinize current workflows for any inefficiencies or bottlenecks. Subsequently, they can identify strategic solutions, such as automating manual processes and standardizing disorganized procedures, to establish a more efficient, streamlined, and productive business.

Leaning on ERP solutions to track productivity

For business leaders ready to tackle the challenge of tracking employee productivity across their entire business with a cloud-based ERP system, steps that need to be taken include:

1. Set goals and metrics

   Before starting to track productivity, business leaders need to set goals and metrics for their teams to achieve. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Setting SMART goals will help measure productivity accurately.

2. Choose a cloud ERP solution

   Once goals are set, choose a cloud ERP system that can help track productivity. There are many cloud ERP systems available in the market. Business leaders need to choose the one that best suits their needs. Acumatica, for example, provides businesses with a comprehensive set of tools to manage their operations, including tracking productivity.
   
   Acumatica’s capabilities include:
   

   • Real-time tracking of activities

     Acumatica allows businesses to track activities in real-time, giving managers a clear picture of how much time their employees are spending on different tasks. This tracking helps businesses identify any inefficiencies in their operations and optimize their processes to improve productivity.

   • Time tracking and project management

     Since great cloud ERP systems empower organizations to track the time their employees spend on each task and project, leaders can identify which projects are taking longer than expected and which employees are struggling to meet deadlines. This information helps managers make better decisions about resource allocation and prioritize their projects accordingly.

   • Performance metrics

     With the help of a system like Acumatica, companies have access to key performance metrics that help them track productivity across different departments and teams. These systems provide dashboards that display these metrics, enabling managers to monitor their employees’ performance in real-time and make informed decisions to improve productivity.

   • Mobile access

     Since cloud ERP systems are available any time and from any device, managers are more able to stay connected with their teams and improve business operations with real-time data.

3. Customize the ERP solutions

   After choosing a cloud ERP system, it needs to be customized to fit the business’s needs. The system should be configured to track the metrics the business has set and create dashboards that show how well teams are performing against those metrics.

4. Implement time tracking

   Time tracking is a crucial part of tracking productivity. It is essential to know how much time teams are spending on various tasks and projects. A cloud ERP system should allow business leaders to track time spent on each project, as well as billable and non-billable hours.

5. Monitor progress

   Once the ERP system is set up, progress needs to be monitored regularly. Review the dashboards and reports daily, weekly, or monthly to ensure teams are meeting their goals. If there are any issues, it is important to take corrective action promptly.

6. Use analytics to identify trends and report on productivity

   Using analytics can identify trends and patterns in your business operations. Business leaders can use this data to optimize business processes and further improve productivity. A cloud ERP system should provide businesses with analytics tools that allow them to drill down into data and identify trends.

ERP solutions provided by Citrin Cooperman

Implementing a cloud ERP solution can have a positive impact on your business’s productivity by efficiently managing resources, streamlining processes, enhancing communication among team members, and measuring productivity. The benefits of increased efficiency, cost reduction, and improved employee engagement ultimately lead to an exceptional customer experience.

Citrin Cooperman’s Digital Services Practice supports affordable, user-friendly business management software solutions that can be tailored to meet your company’s current and future needs. To learn how our team can help enhance your company’s productivity and performance using a modern cloud ERP system, reach out to your Citrin Cooperman advisor or Jory Weissman at sales@citrincooperman.com.